Issue 122 - Airside Tested

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Airside Tested

Wherever you are flying, there are tempting havens of luxury shopping stocked with whisky as you step airside. No matter what the time of day, it's never too early to find yourself nodding affirmatively to a tartan-clad staff member enquiring if you'd like to try something. As you stroll around the store clasping your tiny plastic receptacle, you will realise that an age statement is one of the hardest things to spot on a bottle of whisky in an airport these days.

In a decade where aged stock is in short supply, erasing the age number from the bottles gives the distillers maximum flexibility with the whiskies in their portfolios. Airport shopping has become something of a testbed for these new conceptual whiskies. Fear not, there are still superb liquids to be had, but be discerning and try before you buy.

Laphroaig 20 Year Old Double Cask 46.6%

Bottler: Beam Global
Region: Islay
WM tasting scores: N/a
Recent auction price: £310
Auction: Whisky Online Auctions
Date: July 2013
Comment: This scarce Laphroaig was one of 750 bottles sold in Aelia's Buy Paris Duty Free shop, each bottle numbered and hand signed by John Campbell, Distillery Manager. Maturation was completed in two parts: 18 years in bourbon hogsheads then finished in their quarter casks for another two years. In 2010, it retailed at €225 a bottle.